Temperatures Again Exceed 90 With Dangerous Heat Indices

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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — As if New Yorkers weren’t weary enough from day after day of extreme heat, temperatures hit the 90s again Sunday with heat indices that had been expected to climb as high as 105.

The temperature hit 92 degrees during the early afternoon hours. CBS 2 Meteorologist Vanessa Murdock reported the temperature was expected to hit 93, but humidity developed heat indices that will make it feel more than 10 degrees hotter.

With the heat also expected to persist into Monday, the city Office of Emergency Management announced Sunday afternoon that cooling centers will remain open that day. Cooling centers include air-conditioned places such as Department for the Aging centers, Salvation Army community centers, and public libraries.

An excessive heat warning was in effect for the five boroughs of New York City until 8 p.m. Such warnings are issued when the combination of heat and humidity makes it feel like 105 degrees or more.

As has been the case throughout the weekend, plenty of people were trying to find ways to stay cool Sunday. As WCBS 880’s Ginny Kosola reported, the pool at Astoria Park was packed.

“I was born in Astoria. So I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl,” said one woman, Frances. “My mother used to take us all here. I’ll be going here until I’m a hundred years old I think. I love it. I don’t know what else to say. It’s beautiful.”

Shaun was enjoying the pool with his daughters.

“You can see it’s blazing today,” he said. “So it’s nice to get in the pool; cool off a little bit.”

Things became so steamy on Sunday that electricity use by Con Ed customers reached record levels. Sunday’s use topped out at 11,241 megawatts, bypassing the previous all-time Sunday record of 10,866 MW, and falling short of the all-time peak record of 13,189 MW. Con Ed continued to urge customers to use energy wisely while keeping cool.

Since the heat wave began, doctors have been seeing cases where heat exhaustion and even more severe conditions sneak up on people — especially those with chronic conditions and senior citizens.

“Anytime you start feeling ill in the heat, feeling weak, nausea, feel like you may pass out, those kinds of things, it’s important at that moment to get out of the heat to get into a cool environment,” said Dr. Jeffrey Rabrich of St. Luke’s Hospital.

Experts emphasize that drinking plenty of water is imperative in a heat wave, along with limiting strenuous activity, wearing light-colored clothing, using sunscreen, and staying indoors if possible.

Some relief is coming on Monday for most of the Tri-State Area, when the high will only reach 88 degrees. But areas of inland New Jersey will continue to see the 90s.